Friday, August 20, 2010

Anhedonia

Greek history must have been quite colourful to have so many English words derived from it.
'Hedone' was the daughter of Greek Gods 'Eros' and 'Psyche'.What does that lead to?An erotic psyche or psychotic eroticism!
'Hedone' was the search for pleasure that would lead to something good.It veered away from our normal hedonistic pursuits of pleasure.
Anhedonia is lack of interest in anything pleasurable.It is a feature of depression and believed to be a side effect of depressed Dopamine.
'Proteus' was a gentle marine deity who could predict the future.Protein,proteolytic, prokaryotic got nothing to do with it.
'Nymphs' were worshiped as Goddesses of fertility.We have 'nymphomania' which is often used for female addiction to sex!
'Hebe' was the Goddess of youth.There is a variant of schizophrenia called hebephrenic schizophrenia,which is basically a psychotic disorder.
'Hygea' was the Goddess of health and cleanliness. Hygiene is the  recommended prophylactic antibiotic for many ills.
'Nyx',the Goddess of night,had many children,among them,'Hypnos'(sleep) and 'Thanatos'(death).Nyx used to share house with her daughter 'Hemera'(day) without meeting her.Nyctalopia and Hemaralopia is what they used to suffer from!(night and day blindness).
'Pandora' was an all-endowed woman because of the many gifts she received at birth.The surgeons believe the abdomen to be a Pandora's box because of the many unsuspected problems they encounter when dealing with it.
'Apollo' was the God of music and prophecy and the twin of 'Artemis''the Goddess of hunt.I wonder why they were drafted as talismans for our healthcare institutions.
'Algea' was the personification of sorrow and grief.Analgesics are taken to lessen the sorrow of pain.
'Dendritus',the Goddess of trees was sculpted to be the name for the nerve branches in the body.
'Atropos' was the terrible Goddess who was unbending and cut the thread of life.Atropine is a lifesaving drug in many conditions.      
'Philia' was the personification of friendship,as in hemophilia!
May 'Nike',the Goddess of victory, give us the 'techne'(skill)and not 'invidia'(envy) to lead us to 'Panaceia'.the all-encompassing goddess of healing!

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